Vision:"Every Alabama Child Will Have the Opportunity to Succeed in Life".

Mission:To work in partnership with other public and private entities to maintain an effective state and local system of resources and support that enables parents, families, and others who care for young children to ensure that they are healthy, protected, nurtured, and offered every opportunity to succeed in life.

Who is the Alabama Partnership for Children?The Alabama Partnership for Children (APC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to develop, design and implement a unified approach for improving outcomes of children from birth to age five in Alabama. This public/private partnership is a distinct initiative to develop and strengthen systems, forge strategies and increase public awareness for all early childhood programs in Alabama. The APC is guided by prominent business leaders committed to enhancing the quality of life and quality of learning for children birth to five years in Alabama.

The APC is governed by a 27 member board of directors. The agency by-laws name the positions for each board member, and eighteen appointments to the board are made by the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the APC Executive Committee. There are also nine Ex-Officio Directors who hold positions on the APC Board due to their positions in the government of the State of Alabama. Those positions are as follows: Attorney General, State Superintendent of Education, Commissioner of the Department of Children's Affairs, Director of the Office of School Readiness, Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources, State Public Health Officer, Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitation Services, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Executive Director of the Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention.

Why "Smart Start"?Smart Start® is the all-encompassing identity and trademark for all projects of the Alabama Partnership for Children. And one of the questions we are asked often is, "if your name is the Alabama Partnership for Children, why the Smart Start logo?"

The answer is simple.

Because the future of our state, nation, and world lies in the hands of these very children, our desire is to create awareness and partnerships that will give all children in Alabama a "Smart Start" in life. That said, our goal is simple yet huge - and our Smart Start logo is a never-ending reminder of that goal.